Steelers Likely To Have FB Will Johnson Back Monday Night Against The Bengals

The Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday injury report did not include fullback Will Johnson and that is certainly great news for the team as they head into their Monday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Johnson, who injured a hamstring in the preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers, dressed for the season opener this past Sunday against the Tennessee Titans but did not play.

With Johnson unable to get on the field against the Titans, the Steelers chose not use a fullback at all outside of the one play deep in the Titans end of the field that resulted in running back Isaac Redman fumbling the ball into the end zone for a touchback.

The Steelers ability to get a healthy Johnson back on the field Monday night against the Bengals should help not only their running game, but their passing game as well as Johnson is a very capable receiver out of the backfield in addition to being a dependable pass protector.

Last year as a rookie, the West Virginia product, who went undrafted in 2011, played 366 snaps on offense (33.7%) and caught 15 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers figure to increase in 2013 if he his able to stay healthy now for the remainder of the season.